John Barrowman says Olly Alexander would be a 'wonderful' replacement on Doctor Who - Money

John Barrowman has thrown his support behind calls for It’s A Sin’s Olly Alexander to replace Jodie Whittaker on Doctor Who.

The actor, 53, said the Years and Years frontman would be a ‘wonderful replacement’ as the Time Lord, following reports Jodie will be quitting the role later this year.

Olly has been praised by fans for his performance as budding actor Ritchie Tozer in the heartbreaking drama It’s A Sin, which depicts a group of friends living in London at the height of the AIDS crisis.

‘He’d be perfect!’ John Barrowman has thrown his support behind calls for It’s A Sin’s Olly Alexander to replace Jodie Whittaker on Doctor Who

Speaking on Friday’s Lorraine, John was asked his thoughts on It’s A Sin’s writer Russell T Davies’ suggestion that Olly could take over the role of The Doctor.

He said: ‘We as gay men or women have already faced a pandemic; 37 million people have died from AIDS worldwide.

‘Olly would be amazing, and I think he would make a wonderful Doctor.’

John has starred as Captain Jack Harkness on Doctor Who and its spin-off Torchwood on and off since 2005, and reprised the role earlier this month for a New Year’s special.

Praised: The actor said the Years and Years frontman would be a ‘wonderful replacement’ as the Time Lord, following reports Jodie will be quitting the role later this year

Departing: It was reported earlier this month that Jodie has quit Doctor Who after three years playing the titular Time Lady

Views: Speaking on Friday’s Lorraine, John was asked his thoughts on It’s A Sin’s writer Russell T Davies’ suggestion that Olly could take over the role of The Doctor

It was reported earlier this month that Jodie is set to quit Doctor Who after three years as the time-travelling heroine, with sources claiming her final scenes will air in series 13 later this year.

John also spoke to Lorraine about his own experiences in lockdown, revealing he sought therapy after going through a ‘rough patch’ due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said: ‘I’m fine, I had a bit of a rough patch in Palm Springs as I found I was becoming angry and upset so I went to speak to a therapist.

‘My parents went and got a vaccine the other day. My mother said it was very well organised.

He said: ‘Olly would be amazing, and I think he would make a wonderful Doctor’

Tough: John also spoke to Lorraine about his own experiences in lockdown, revealing he sought therapy after going through a ‘rough patch’ due to the COVID-19 pandemic

‘Don’t be afraid, shut up and get the vaccine! If we do it as a community, we can get back to normal sooner. The stuff online is absolute rubbish, get the facts!’

The TV judge made an appearance on the show to chat about the new series of Dancing On ice, revealing he’s set to perform on Sunday as part of Musicals Week.

He said: ‘They twisted my arm, I don’t know if I will be on the ice, but I will be on a staircase, the reason I won’t be on the ice is because I’m not allowed to mix with the contestants, but I’m going to sing!

‘It’s a song that’s absolutely typical for me, it’s from The Boy From Oz.’

Hard: He told Lorraine: ‘I’m fine, I had a bit of a rough patch in Palm Springs as I found I was becoming angry and upset so I went to speak to a therapist’

Earlier this week writer Russell, who worked as Doctor Who’s showrunner from 2005 to 2009, was asked whether Olly could take over as the Time Lord.

He told SFX Magazine: ‘Yes, Olly would make a marvellous Doctor Who.’

It’s A Sin has already been praised by viewers for its devastating story of five friends who move to London together in the 1980s.

The series weaves its way through a decade of hedonism and horror for the young gay men as the AIDS crisis seeps into their life of parties, burgeoning careers and young love.

Perfect choice: Earlier this week It’s A Sin’s writer Russell T Davies said Olly would be a ‘marvellous’ replacement for Jodie on Doctor Who

Praise: Channel 4 and Russell T Davies debuted the drama on Friday night, and it has since received an outpouring of praise from viewers

Davies, the writer and producer behind Queer As Folk, the 2005 revival of Doctor Who and Cucumber, loosely based It’s A Sin on his own experiences in the eighties.

He also spent hours in conversation with his childhood friend Jill Nalder, an actor, ally and activist who lived in London during the decade and is played by Lydia West in the drama. The real-life Jill also appears, playing Lydia’s mother in episodes four and five.

Davies cast Olly as the show’s protagonist Ritchie Tozer, an 18-year-old hailing from an ignorant, unloving household on the Isle of Wight who throws himself headfirst into London life, soon befriending Jill and three others and renting their flat, lovingly dubbed The Pink Palace.

The cast of young talent is supported by a string of veteran screen stars, including Keeley Hawes and Shaun Dooley as Ritchie’s parents, Stephen Fry as an MP lover of outrageous flatmate Rosce (Omari Douglas) and Neil Patrick Harris as a mentor to another, the quietly observant Colin (Callum Scott Howell).

After the first episode aired last week, viewers flooded social media with praise for the show, with many quickly watching the whole series on All4 and admittingit had left them in floods of tears.

Watch all five episodes of It’s A Sin on All4 now. Episode two airs on Channel 4 on Friday at 9pm.

Doctor Who? All the actors who have played the Time Lord

The BBC’s hit Sci-fi show Doctor Who was first launched by the BBC in 1963. It chronicles the journey of a Time Lord called ‘The Doctor’.

He is first introduced after fleeing his home planet, Gallifrey.

The Doctor travels through time and space in his spaceship, called a TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimension In Space), which resembles a police box.

During his travels, The Doctor meets people and invites them to voyage with him. They are known as his companions.

He also encounters several evil beings, such as Daleks and Cyberman, and is forced to defeat them sing minimal resources, such as his Sonic Screwdriver, as they try to destroy or take over other planets, including Earth.

As a Time Lord, The Doctor has the capacity to regenerate when he is wounded or dying. After regenerating, he takes on a new appearance and personality.

The concept of regenerating was added into the series after the First Doctor, William Hartnell, became ill and stepped down from his role.

The first run of Doctor Who ended in 1989 before being revived in 2005 with Christopher Ecclestone as the Ninth Doctor.

Below is the full list of the actors who have been cast as the Doctor from 1963 to 2017 – when Jodie Whittaker took over the coveted role.